Profile on Adrian Wiszniewski

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Glasgow born Adrian Wiszniewski is one of those multi-faceted artists who have worked in different fields from Painting to Music. A Glasgow School of Art graduate Adrian is one of the leading members of the New Glasgow Boys responsible for the revival and resurgence of figurative painting under the tutelage of Sandy Moffat OBE; a group of artists that included Steven Campbell, Ken Currie and Peter Howson.

From the beginning Wiszniewski engaged with the art world in various creative pursuits as a painter, draughtsman, and printer. He has over the years produced Writings, Illustrations, Furniture, Interior Design (those wallpapers!) and actively participated and produced multi-media installations and Music. In 1984 he held his first solo show in Glasgow and London and thereafter some of his works became part of the Tate collection.

His venture into mixing neon lighting and oil on canvas led to the production of ‘Gentleman’s Club’ which graces the atrium of the Glasgow Museum. In recent time he has work with the Scottish Philharmonic Orchestra in the production of the musical narrative ‘The Girl, The Boy and The Hag’ and in conjunction with the production Adrian wrote and illustrated an accompanying book.

Gentleman's Club by Adrian Wiesznieski
Gentleman’s Club by Adrian Wiesznieski

Adrian’s work can be found in many international collections such as the Gallery of Modern Art in New York, Metropolitan Museum New York, Setagaya Museum Tokyo, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Edinburgh, Tate Britain London and the Victoria and Albert Museum London. A multiple of awards include the Haldane Trust Award in 1982, the David Cargill Scholarship in 1983, the Mark Rothko Memorial Award in 1984, the I.C.C.F. Best Design Award New York in 1993 and the Lord Provost Gold Medal from City of Glasgow in 1999. As a global artist Wiszniewski has had solo exhibitions in London, Sydney, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ghent and Tokyo.

  • Adrian Wiszniewski, ‘The Stations of the Cross: The Pietà’
  • Station of the Cross: The Entombment by Adrian Wiszniewski Linocut on Japanese Paper 1999
Other profiles on Adrian…

Adrian Wiszniewski RSA, HonFRIAS, HRSW (b.1958) creates work characterised by a strong drawing element and fertile imagination. Populated with contemplative figures set in vividly coloured Arcadian landscapes, his paintings are rich with symbolic, political and philosophical depths.

Open Art Gallery Glasgow – https://www.openeyegallery.co.uk/artists/adrian-wiszniewski
  • Cat and Mouse by Adrian Wiszniewski Oil on Canvas
  • The Changeling

Adrian Wiszniewski (1958- ) is a Scottish artist and one of the members of the New Glasgow Boys a group of artists who emerged from Glasgow School of Art[1] and led the resurgence of scottish figurative painting in the late 20th century. Other members of this group included the late Steven Campbell, who was a close friend of Adrian, Peter Howson and Ken Currie. Under the tutelage of artists like Alexander Moffat in the 1980s the four later went on the attain national and international status.

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All images ©Adrian Wiszniewski and used with artist’s consent.